Najla Amundson, Public Relations Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, found herself hula hooping in front of her boss and 400 co-workers and their families recently. She writes, “The only reason I did it was I was at my company sponsored 5k event and it happened to include a hula hoop station set up with timers… and I happened to be there with my 9-year-old son who happened to insist that I hula hoop with him… Thirteen minutes later, when the hoop finally (and thankfully) fell off my waist, I was sweaty, sore, exhausted and surprisingly energized. Not to mention, pretty dang proud of my mid-40ish self.” So this morning, when she got to the office, she found herself wondering if hooping did her any good. She did a little research and was so excited about what she discovered she shared it with everyone in the company. “I am happy to report – IT DID! It DOES!” she informed them. “You can hula hoop your way to not only a whittled down waist, but a better mood! There are so many sites that offer you exercise routines. I even found a blog for hooping devotees called hooping.org. Here are the benefits: 1. Improved cardiovascular endurance & stamina, 2. Core and muscle strength, 3. Positive emotional health, and 4. Proper back and joint function.” Blue Cross Blue Sheild of North Dakota
